


Taming Delirium

by Serpent_Wolf15



Category: VanossGaming (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: Abuse of swear words, Gang!AU, M/M, Misunderstandings, Violence, this is literal trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-11
Packaged: 2018-03-18 21:39:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3585042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serpent_Wolf15/pseuds/Serpent_Wolf15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanoss needs a man who can get in and out without drawing attention to himself, Cartoonz happens to know just the right guy for the job. Cartoonz may have forgotten to mention how that one guy happened to have helped them a few times before.</p><p>H2OVanoss Gang AU!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Taming Delirium

Vanoss’ new heist was dangerous to say the least, he’d recently started searching for a point man to help him run it. His boys were good but he needed someone who single-handedly had the skills necessary for the job, not the collective way the others did. They needed Intel and someone able to sneak into where said Intel was being held, it wasn’t often that banks hired a private security service but when they did it was a hindrance to everyone.  
So here he was, Cartoonz standing guiltily in front of him as he avoided all eye contact and rubbed at his wrists in an obvious show of nerves, Cartoonz had come forward recently admitting to using an outside source to gather information for many of their previous jobs. According to Cartoonz it was someone he knew well and had known for a while, going as far back as the elementary school playground, in fact. Evan would admit that the praises Luke was singing for this ‘Delirious’ seemed exaggerated as they had never heard of this man before, but Vanoss also had to take into account how they had never been double crossed by the unknown man, though he’d certainly had ample opportunity and could’ve fetched a pretty price for it.  
Vanoss had decided to leave the organisation of a meeting between himself and Delirious to Cartoonz, since he’s the only one who knew how to get into contact with him, and he was a trusted friend of the man himself. Obviously no one knew what he looked like but Luke had informed them of his penchant to wearing a hockey mask, they all understood the reasoning behind this as their entire gang wore themed masks to protect their identities.  
Cartoonz left the room quickly, not wanting to gain anymore of Vanoss’ ire, as the man himself had indeed entertained the idea of punishing Cartoonz harshly for putting them all at risk without any of the knowing it. They were a family and an outside source knowing them without their knowledge was a dangerous. Everyone had code-names and hid their faces behind a mask to keep themselves anonymous to a certain degree, they were rather infamous however. They were considered a big threat in the Los Santos area as they rose to power and not one to be messed with, they were clean and precise and had no mercy for traitors. The last known person to betray the gang was gutted and strung up on a lamp post for the world to see, an example and a warning all tied up into one, and the world understood and there wasn’t a single thing the police could do about it.  
So Cartoonz understood that the punishment he would receive would be nothing but a slap on the wrist in comparison for the harsher penalties he’s been witness to. He scrambled to contact Delirious, not wanting to keep Vanoss waiting and risk further ire. Cartoonz met up with Vanoss as they walked to the car only an hour later, everyone in the gang had both respect and fear for their leader. The man had been through a lot and had saved all of their asses more than once, he was their fearless leader after all, the one who kept most of them together and made sure everyone made it out of their jobs alive.  
It seemed as if Vanoss had dropped everything, postponing important paper work and planning to make it to the meeting. Herding both Cartoonz and Wildcat into the standard black SUV, a tad cliché but the car was sturdy notwithstanding the reinforced metal plating and bullet proof windows. They made good time to the agreed meeting point, a crowded café suggested by Delirious, a smart move, they wouldn’t be able to do anything threatening or life endangering with so many people around. Vanoss had to commend the man’s caution, it was something he would do himself after all.  
Delirious was easy to pick out and Vanoss had to stifle a snort of both shock and amusement, the man was sitting brazen as you please, in the middle of the café, his trademark hockey mask on, a sky blue hoodie and black sweats that hung loosely from his hips and gathered at his ankles, stopping at white and blue sneakers. Scuff marks adorned the sneakers and Vanoss could tell the man was fast on his feet, and considering his choice of clothing, was probably one hell of a parkourer, loose clothing made for a quicker escape.  
Cartoonz and Wildcat hung back, allowing Vanoss to approach the man alone and sit opposite him, relaxed despite the fact that Delirious knew his face yet Vanoss didn’t know his. Said man pushed a cup of coffee over to Vanoss and he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow as he took a sip, the coffee was exactly how he liked it. He nodded his thanks before clasping his hands together in front of him, taking up half the table, “I hear you’ve helped Cartoonz with a few of our previous jobs?” Delirious nodded, a miniscule movement of his head, a simple acknowledgement. Vanoss studied the man’s eyes, the only part of his face that he could currently see, they were almost as blue as his jacket and broke eye contact occasionally to scan the room behind Vanoss. Evan could tell he was watching Wildcat and Cartoonz out the corner of his eye while taking note of the many exists that were available to him in such a small space, “I’d like to extend an offer to you, I’m willing to allow you a trial period to prove to us you’re as great as Cartoonz says, and if you meet our expectations I’ll offer you a permanent place in our crew. Make no mistake however, if you try to double cross us you’ll be picking up your intestines with your bare fucking hands” Vanoss’ eyes hardened, face neutral and hard, never breaking eye contact with the man opposite him.  
He could see Delirious’ eyes close slightly as the skin underneath crinkled with the force of his smile, eyes glinting with mischievous pleasure as he reached a hand out towards Vanoss, shaking his hand firmly and without hesitation. “You’ve got yourself a deal! I always thought you were an interesting crew, I’m excited to see how ya’ll work together”. The slight accent had Vanoss at a loss for words for a split second has he ran through what states it could’ve originated from before he smiled back, slipping on his sunglasses he stood up, sliding his chair back noiselessly before pushing it back in and walking towards his boys. Cartoonz looked beyond relieved, a large grin on his face as he walked over to Delirious and bumped fists with him, Vanoss couldn’t hear what they was saying but he watched Cartoonz’s mouth move quickly, rapidly talking back and forth with Delirious as they all exited the café and piled into the car.  
He’d have to trust in Delirious from the get-go, their job was scheduled only two weeks from now and everything had to be planned to perfection, and so Delirious would be sent in to gather information in only a few days. Wildcat turned in the passenger’s seat, offering a subpar greeting before bombarding the man with questions, “So, Delirious, how old are you exactly?” there was a slight chuckle before Delirious answered “I’m twenty-eight, five years older than your boss over there” he made a vague gesture towards Vanoss; who was driving and trying hard to pay attention to the road.  
Wildcat nodded, “What’s your real name and are you ever gonna take off that damn mask? If you’re gonna be staying with us you can’t hide your face the whole time” Delirious tilted his head to the side, an action that Vanoss watched from the rear-view mirror before steadfastly turning his attention back to the road, even without seeing the man’s face Vanoss thought he was almost unbearably adorable. He scoffed at himself, ignoring the looks he got from those in the car with him, opting to ignore everyone as he tried to gather his thoughts, he’d only just met the guy after all, and it would do no good to start thinking like that, especially with their occupation.  
Delirious shrugged, jacket rustling with the movement before he answered the questions, “My name’s Jonathan, a pleasure to meet ya’, and there ain’t no fucking way I’m taking off this mask until I’m absolutely sure I can trust you” He shrugged at Wildcat’s indignant look but he could see understanding on the other man’s face, after all, Jonathan wasn’t exactly trusted by them yet, so it was only fair he keep his identity safe until he’s sure they’re not going to come to his house in the dead of night and slit his throat.  
“Well, my name’s Tyler and this is Evan” he pointed to Vanoss and ignored the disgruntled look as he continued on, “the man next to you is Luke, but you already knew that, I’m generally the one who patches everyone up after jobs, since none of these assholes have a lick of goddamn sense in them to even try to dodge anything shot at them” Tyler glared at Evan, the Canadian was notorious for going straight back to work and tearing stitches on more than one occasion, frustrating Tyler beyond belief.  
Delirious stifled a giggle at the interaction between the two men, taking note of the obvious closeness and trust they had. It relaxed Delirious, the gang was obviously comfortable with each other, which meant Evan wasn’t as cruel as he had heard. To be honest, Delirious had done a lot of digging months before meeting with Evan, he’d had a feeling they would eventually meet one day and he wanted to be as prepared as possible, he’d even asked Luke how he took his coffee; so he could make a good first impression.  
It had definitely helped the guy soften up to him a bit, there wasn’t much Delirious couldn’t find, and he wasn’t one to boast but he was damn good at what he did, and he knew his way around a knife like no other. He fingered the switchblade in his pocket, a constant presence no matter where he goes, be it grocery shopping or meeting with a notorious gang boss in a café filled to the brim with business men and hipster wannabe’s.  
He met Luke’s eyes and gave the man a thumbs up, the poor ass was practically giving himself a heart attack with worry, he had it in his head that Vanoss was either going to kill him or Delirious. Jonathan had to hold back from insulting the man, like someone like Vanoss, Evan, could kill him. Delirious had watched as the man approached him earlier, all muscle and confidence, probably threw himself around without any finesse or grace. Delirious liked to flit around a fight, dodging and running in quick and getting under their defences, watching as his knife slid into their flesh like butter and a hot knife.  
He was shaken out of his thoughts as the other men began to exit the car, and Delirious took a moment to gawk at the house they were in front of like an idiot, only to be practically dragged out of the car by Cartoonz. Delirious was a good liar but not even he couldn’t pretend to not see how goddamn amazing Vanoss’ house was. He knew from what he had gathered that the inner circle of the gang all lived in this house, which would make sense given how large and spacious it seemed. Jonathan couldn’t thank his mask enough, because he had let Vanoss see his shock and awe at such a simple thing as a house, then he would be perceived as weak and he refused to allow that to happen.  
The double doors at the front of the house suddenly flung open, Delirious tensed slightly before pulling himself back together, he stood tall next to Cartoonz, stance seemingly loose and relaxed when in reality ever muscle was tensed and his eyes were sharp as he assessed his surroundings and the other men that were approaching them. A few men approached them but only one locked eyes with Delirious, giving him a once over, sizing him up, Jonathan’s lip curled behind his mask and his eyes darkened at the challenge.  
Cartoonz, noticing the tension between the two men stepped in front of Delirious, calling out an obviously forced greeting as he intercepted ‘Marcel’ before he could get any closer to Delirious. Vanoss moved into the spot Cartoonz once occupied, pointing out and naming each of the members now milling about, surrounding Tyler and Luke, poking and prodding them about who Delirious was.  
Vanoss began moving towards the house, passing his crew and looking back towards Delirious, a silent order to accompany him as he turned around and continued onwards. Delirious hurried to follow after the man, hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie as he quietly walked behind Vanoss. Stepping exactly when the other man did to cover the sound of his own footsteps, though he knew it was meaningless as Vanoss already knew Delirious was behind him. It was a fun game Delirious would definitely play again, maybe one day he’d scare the gang boss, if he didn’t die first.  
Evan opened an unassuming door at the seemingly endless hallways they had been walking down, holding it open for Delirious and receiving a nod of gratitude for his efforts, he closed the door behind him and Jonathan could hear the quiet sound of air being sucked in, alerting Delirious to the fact that the room they were in was soundproof; the windows spanning one side of the room were probably bullet proof and were tinted to all hell. A table dominated the room, blueprints and paperwork covering the oak expanse, notes strewn about haphazardly as Delirious wandered over, picking up a few sheets of paper and reading through them before placing them back down.  
Jonathan looked up at Vanoss with an eyebrow raised in silent question, he knew what he was being recruited for, had heard whispers about Vanoss’ new, completely crazy scheme. Vanoss sat down heavily at the head of the table, gesturing to a chair next to him. Delirious took it gratefully, stretching out his legs underneath the table and holding back a relieved sigh. He’d been too tense the past hour or so and he really needed to unwind, he wasn’t usually so tense but he was in what he perceived to be a life or death situation, though considering his occupation just about everything was.  
He titled his head back against the back of the chair and held back a groan as his neck cracked loudly before sitting up as Vanoss began to speak, his plan spilling out as if it were a secret that had been weighing him down for years. Delirious stopped him at certain points to put in his own opinion, some parts seemed too loose for his liking and he didn’t fancy dying because of an oversight. “Delirious, I need you to get into this building here-“Vanoss pointed to a small building hidden by all the others on the blueprint, “that’s where their central intelligence hub is, everything we need should be on the computer system there, we’ll give you a flash drive, all the information needed will fit onto it”. Delirious nodded, hands folded together on his lap as he watched intently where Vanoss was pointing on the blueprints, taking note of where the other buildings were positioned and occasionally reaching for the notes already written, familiarizing himself with the patrol pattern and the numbers he was going to be facing.  
Jonathan stood up as Vanoss packed up all the plants, carefully rolling up the blueprints and stacking the notes neatly on his desk that was nestled in the corner of the room, the table now clear and gleaming in the overhead lights. Delirious opened the door, glaring as Vanoss came close as if to help him, as if he needed help opening a goddamn door. As he entered the hallway he came face to face with Marcel, Delirious opened his mouth, preparing some kind of smartass comment when a deafening bang sounded out and he was falling backwards, the air knocked out of him.  
He could hear Vanoss yelling over the roaring of blood in his ears, a veil of red overtook his vision as he got his feet underneath him and launched himself at Marcel, he delivered a solid punch to his face, forcing his head to the side as blood splattered the ground. Continuing to punch the downed male even as blood started to stain his knuckles, a mixture of both his and Marcel’s. Arms wrapped around him and his jumper was pulled taut as multiple people pulled him off Marcel, he registered that someone was saying something but he couldn’t hear them over the roar of his blood and the obscenities pouring out of his mouth.  
His arms were pinned to his sides as he was bodily lifted away from the groaning Marcel, Tyler cleaning up the blood that was smeared all over Marcel’s face from his split lip and busted nose, he was lucky he still had all of his teeth. Delirious certainly hadn’t held back, especially since the stupid fuck had tried to kill him. Delirious’ legs were still kicking and he was practically foaming, he was going to slaughter that piece of shit.  
Tyler had made his way over to Delirious now, and was patting down his chest. Delirious had finally figured out that it was Vanoss who was holding him off the ground, stuck in a body lock that stopped him from doing anything stupid to Marcel, who was still on the ground in front of them. He’d stopped struggling at this point, settling for glaring at Marcel as he seemed to mourn his face, his nose was at a crooked angle as blood continued to pour out of it, definitely broken; he tore his gaze away from him when Tyler gave a sharp bark of laughter.  
He could practically feel the confusion radiating from Vanoss and he allowed himself a small chuckle as Vanoss finally allowed him to stand of his own free will again, Delirious rubbed his chest through his clothing and carefully shrugged the hoodie off, keeping his mask secured, surprised it hadn’t fallen off when he’d made full body contact with the floor.  
He felt rather than saw Vanoss tense behind him before he was laughing, eyes alight with mirth as he took in Delirious, he wore a white singlet but it could barely be seen underneath the body armour that was strapped to his lithe frame. Delirious walked over to Marcel, who had finally gotten himself together and was standing up, his stride filled with purpose. A few others who had come running at the commotion stepped forward as if to stop him, but were halted by a single look from Vanoss. Jonathan practically lifted the man off his feet as he slammed him into the wall, taking in the still bleeding face with grim pride.  
‘You listen here you stupid fuck, if you ever, ever, pull that shit again, I will gut you like a goddamn pig!” His free hand deftly pulled out his knife and pressed it threateningly against the soft flesh of Marcel’s exposed stomach. He shoved the man against the wall once more before releasing him, retrieving his hoodie from where he’d dropped it and showing himself out, a confident swagger in his step as he said goodbye to Cartoonz before closing the front doors behind him; the second the thick wood thudded shut raised voices erupted from within. Delirious laughed, a hysterical lilt to it, he rubbed his chest once more before setting out towards the train station, he knew there’d be a bruise there come tomorrow but he felt good about how the day had went, he was still alive.

Jonathan’s keys jangled as he hung them up on their usual hook, along with his jacket and mask, the door firmly shut and locked behind him, toeing off his sneakers he made his way down to his kitchen, and chucked a microwave meal in and set the timer.  
He wasn’t even halfway through his food before the sound of glass breaking interrupted him, Delirious stood up calmly and quietly moved to the kitchen and opened the cupboard that contained his many cereals, he liked variety. He reached up to the top of the cupboard and grabbed the gun he had taped there, better safe than dead. Jonathan loaded his gun and clicked the safety off, carefully peaking around the corner into his living area, he swore under his breath as he watched multiple people. He quickly stepped back from the corner to avoid being seen and made his way to the back door, the only way to get to it was through the kitchen so it was the safest exit route he had. He grabbed his emergency bag from between the wall and his washing machine and quietly unlocked the door as he vaulted the fence and made his way onto the street, two nondescript cars were parked in front of his house, he’d never seen them before and he quickly memorized their number-plates before taking off down the street at a light jog.  
There was only one place he could go to right now, he didn’t have any friends he could rely on besides Cartoonz, who was a part of Vanoss’ inner circle, which meant he stayed inside Vanoss’ house. He sighed heavily as more important thoughts circulated his mind, they seemed to of found his house easily enough and that’s what really bothered him. What if they’d been watching him for a while, for how long had they been doing it? What else didn’t he know? Who exactly was it that had ordered this?  
It was enough to drive him mad, the uncertainty kicking his paranoia up a notch as he tried to remember anyone who seemed out of place during the last month or so, or if he had ever seen those two cars before. He came up completely blank, he’d been so focused on gathering information on Vanoss and his gang that he’d neglected his other responsibilities.  
He ran a hand through his short, brown hair, aggravated at his own stupidity, he was smarter than this, a simple slip up, one mistake, people had died for less than this. He’d made mistakes before this of course, but only one had never really left his mind since it happened, it was the reason why Marcel hated him to the point of trying to kill him in his boss’ home. Jonathan understood, he’d been trying to protect his family, which is why he hadn’t done anything more than punch the fuck outta him. He stopped to open his bag and pull out the spare sneakers that had been stuffed in there many months ago, he shrugged on the only jumper and watched his breath form as mist in the cold air as he continued down the darkened streets.  
By the time Delirious made it to Vanoss’ house, he was fairly certain he was suffering from hypothermia, his lips were almost blue and his shakings hands had been stuffed into the pockets of his jumper long ago, he bounced from foot to foot to keep warm as he waited for someone to answer to door. He’d really rather be anywhere else but here, but he couldn’t take the chance of walking into an ambush and he needed somewhere with at least a modicum of ‘safe’ to try and figure out who the hell had crashed his place. One of the doors was yanked harshly open by a half-asleep and very agitated Evan Fong, Jonathan had to smother a sigh of relief, better Evan than one of the others. “Who are you and what the hell are you doing here? It’s nearly three AM in the fucking morning” Delirious let out a hysterical giggle, still moving to keep warm, “What’s up? Delirious here!” he added a playful wink for good measure “sorry to come knocking so early but my place got a bit messed up and I don’t have anywhere else to stay” He smiled bitterly, he felt pretty embarrassed, it was pathetic really, having to go to the boss of a gang only a few hours after meeting them because he couldn’t keep his own personal affairs in order.  
Vanoss stood in his doorway, scrutinising Delirious before running a hand through his already unruly hair and opening the door wider to let Delirious through. Vanoss just sighed and shrugged before closing the door, blocking out the cold wind as Jonathan rolled his shoulders. He groaned quietly as heat rolled over him, the minuscule shaking of his hands coming to a stop the longer he stood in the warmth of Vanoss’ home. Vanoss stood off to the side, studying Delirious’ face, cataloguing the pale skin and faded scars.  
Evan patted his shoulder as he passed him, “You okay man? Any idea why they trashed your place?” Delirious merely shrugged, a frown worming its way onto his face, he placed his backpack next to the sofa in what he assumed was the living area, collapsing onto it tiredly. All the fight had left his body as exhaustion came over him, he’d been walking for hours in the cold since public transport didn’t run this late.  
“I’ll figure it out later, I’ll just crash here, you should go get some more sleep while you can, you look like shit” He smiled at Vanoss from his position on his back, listening to him snort as he left a door softly clicking closed seemed loud in the quiet expanse of the house. He slowly drifted off as the heat relaxed his muscles, one arm pillowing his head.  
When he awoke he couldn’t say he was particularly surprised to find nearly half the gang loitering around him, he was surprised however, to see a blanket pool at his waist as he sat up. He stretched as his feet hit the ground, muscles popping loudly as he properly stood up, he disregarded the stares from the other crew members, he was too busy regretting the decision to sleep on the couch. It had looked comfortable at the time, but it was dark and he was cold and it was an honest mistake that anyone could make.  
Delirious reached into his bag and brought out a chocolate bar as he left the room, he retraced his steps from the day before and made his way to the planning room, eating his snack as he went. He hefted the door open and let it close quietly behind him, Delirious pulled out one of the chairs with his foot before collapsing in it, eating his candy bar in the silence of the room.  
The door opened again and Delirious looked up only to lock eyes with Vanoss as he entered the room, looking more awake and put together than previously, Delirious licked his dry lips before looking away and shoving his candy wrapper in his pocket, stretched his legs out under the table. Evan raised smiled quietly to himself before taking a seat directly opposite Delirious, feet tucked in under his chair to avoid clashing with Delirious’ legs. Jonathan appraised Vanoss from under his eyelashes as he kept his head lowered, eyes hungrily gazing upon the muscles that flexed whenever Evan moved, Delirious could certainly appreciate muscles in a man and Vanoss was built like a tank.  
Jonathan soon became distracted with more pressing thoughts as he thought back to earlier the other night, his eyebrows were drew together in worry as questions ran through his mind at a fast pace, none of which he could answer. Evan tapped the table to get Delirious’ attention before giving him a seemingly reassuring look, “This isn’t the first time this has happened to someone working in this crew, you’re welcome to stay here as long as you want” Evan winked at Jonathan before standing up and opening the door pausing at the doorway, “We’ll meet back in here around lunch time with the others to discuss the plan in more detail, go grab yourself some breakfast from the kitchen” the door closed behind Vanoss with a quiet sound.  
Delirious sat in the room for a few more minutes, fingers tapping a random beat on the oak table before he stood up with a groan, back still protesting the decision to sleep on the couch. He made his way back into the living area, a few people had left but there were still some loitering around, a news channel playing on the TV.  
Delirious wasn’t entirely sure what time in the morning it was but he assumed the ones who had left had either gone to a different area of the house or had left to go do something. He scooped up his bag as he walked through the living room, waving to Cartoonz as he passed and motioning to him to follow him as a shocked look settled on his friends face.  
They sat next to each other at the breakfast bar in the kitchen as Delirious told his story in full to Cartoonz, fist clenched angrily on the bench. To say he was pissed would be an understatement, it had been a long time since someone tried to hit him in his own home.  
However the biggest thing that was bothering him was the fact that they knew where he lived, Delirious had gone through great pains to ensure no one knew that he owned that house or that he had lived there for many years, something was up and this definitely wasn’t just a stroke of luck.


End file.
